VIDEO: Rob Ford Says Toronto Is Lucky He Wasn't Intoxicated at Work More Often

Tuesday

Nov 19, 2013 at 11:57 AM

Mayor Rob Ford continued to defend his leadership ability on Tuesday'sToday Showafter being stripped of most of his powersMondayby the Toronto City Council.Nearly two weeks after Ford admitted to smoking crack during a "drunken stupor," he attempted to frame his ...

TV Guide

Mayor Rob Ford continued to defend his leadership ability on Tuesday's Today Show after being stripped of most of his powersMonday by the Toronto City Council.

Nearly two weeks after Ford admitted to smoking crack during a "drunken stupor," he attempted to frame his admission as a sign of moral integrity, since he isn't afraid to admit his mistakes.

"I'm embarrassed. Not just myself," Ford told Matt Lauer. "My family, my friends, my supporters. I take full responsibility for that. We've all made mistakes, Matt. I'm not perfect. Maybe you are, maybe other people are. I've made mistakes. I've admitted to my mistakes."

While Ford's one known use of crack is reportedly caught on tape, Ford questions the validity of the entire incident "because I can barely remember it. I was very, very inebriated."

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Ford went on to say that the 2.7 million people he oversees are quite lucky that he was only impaired on the job a few times throughout his tenure as Toronto mayor. "It's very few isolated incidents that it's happened. And you're absolutely right. I'm very fortunate that that hasn't happened, but that could happen with anybody at any time," Ford said, before attempting to turn the question on Lauer. "Say you had gone out drinking or you were drunk, and say something happened to your family."

Ford's brother, Toronto City Councilor Doug Ford, said that he sometimes worries about Rob. "His weight issues, when he goes on a binge, when he goes, if you want to call it binge-drinking, and I hear about it, yeah, it's concerning,'' Doug said. "Do I know, on a personal side, has Rob been 100 percent honest? No, he hasn't."

Ford continued to deny that he has any substance abuse problems, saying that his only issue is his weight. "I have a weight issue, I've been training every day," he said. "All I can say, Matt, is actions speak louder than words. I invite you to come back. Give me five or six months and if they don't see a difference, I'll eat my words," he said.

Unfortunately, Ford's recent "actions" haven't helped his cause.

(Via Chris Toman)

Watch Ford's full interview below.

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